Ever love a brand until you found out something about it that turned you off?

[Joule]

This is probably an unpopular opinion, and I didn’t necessarily ‘love’ the brand before I learned this but - Christian Louboutin. I’d seen plenty of shoes from them that I’ve liked but then I read how he said he designs shoes not for female comfort but for the ‘male gaze’.

I suppose one could argue that any heeled shoe is fundamentally for the ‘male gaze’, but still…. Go f*ck yourself sideways CL you chauvinist POS.

Never have bought Louboutin and definitely never will.

That was beautiful.

 

[Diamandis]

I absolutely LOVED Burberry but then realised that they have SO many made-for-outlet items and most of their main line items go to outlet for half the price most of the time. I still love Burberry, but it changed the way I looked at how much it's 'worth' buying at full price if you can get the same item a few months later heavily reduced at an outlet.

Another one is not aimed at a particular brand, or the fault of a brand themselves, but the trend of buying 'dupes' on Chinese wholesale websites (mostly LV or Gucci) gets under my skin so much and makes me feel conscious carrying bags that I have seen 'duped' over and over.

I also really don't like when brands become popular with rappers and are mentioned in rap songs along with obscenities about women, drugs, etc. - for me it devalues a brand (happened a lot with Gucci, LV, now Dior). Reminds me of this

Couldn't agree more. I got rid of all my Dior when I saw what crowd the brand was affiliating with.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, and I didn’t necessarily ‘love’ the brand before I learned this but - Christian Louboutin. I’d seen plenty of shoes from them that I’ve liked but then I read how he said he designs shoes not for female comfort but for the ‘male gaze’.

I suppose one could argue that any heeled shoe is fundamentally for the ‘male gaze’, but still…. Go f*ck yourself sideways CL you chauvinist POS.

Never have bought Louboutin and definitely never will.

I read an article once where he said he designed the arch to resemble the way a woman arches her feet during intercourse, completely off-putting and gross.

 

[ILP]

Chanel was a Nazi agent and Louis Vuitton was a Nazi collaborator. I will never glorify their names by wearing them. There are many other fabulous and luxurious fashion houses.

 

[gabz]

D&g called kids born of ivf synthetic freaks

 

[LJNLori]

I was turned off by the Crystal champagne company when they got upset that people of color were taking over their client base. I don't drink that expensive of champagne very often, but would not want to give my money to an openly racist company.

 

[HeyMaddy]

D&g called kids born of ivf synthetic freaks

This is so insulting, on so many levels. Also the fact that sponsored a Kardashian wedding even though they called them "the most cheap people in the world" Just gross

 

[ladyet]

I was turned off by the Crystal champagne company when they got upset that people of color were taking over their client base. I don't drink that expensive of champagne very often, but would not want to give my money to an openly racist company.

I appreciate you saying this. A lot of people on this forum talk about certain brands being "cheapened" bc of how more people are able to acquire it. An earlier poster talked about how they don't like to buy brands that are associated with rap culture (bc misogyny? so what about the women rappers talking about these brands?) If I had a dog whistle, I'd be blowing it.

A lot of ppl don't like it when luxury becomes accessible to people of color, especially black people. They don't have the full heart/cojones to say it, but that's what they mean. So they talk around it instead. Unfortunately for them, black culture often sets trends...these brands you love actively take from black culture...black culture makes things cool...it's not a relationship that's going to end anytime soon. And nothing is out of reach for anyone if you have enough money...these rappers, etc. are still going to get exactly what they want.

 

[Allthingsheart]

I would say Michael Kors. I heard this story about this grandmother wanting to buy her granddaughter an MK bag and she bought it at a nefarious website unknowingly and was confiscated by customs. MK's lawyers started harassing the grandmother to pay them double the price of the bag she was trying to buy. I am against replicas, however, I can see my grandmother unknowingly doing something like this.

 

[Hermes Nuttynut]

Chanel was a Nazi agent and Louis Vuitton was a Nazi collaborator. I will never glorify their names by wearing them. There are many other fabulous and luxurious fashion houses.

I didn’t know that about Vuitton!

Louis Vuitton's links with Vichy regime exposed

The luxury goods company Louis Vuitton collaborated with the Nazis during the German occupation of France in the second world war, according to a new book.

www.theguardian.com

I also found this link naming other designers who collaborated with Nazis.

Five Big-Name Fashion Designers Who Had Ties to the Nazis - theFashionSpot

What were your favorite designers doing during the Nazi occupation of France?

www.thefashionspot.com

 

[JVSXOXO]

I appreciate you saying this. A lot of people on this forum talk about certain brands being "cheapened" bc of how more people are able to acquire it. An earlier poster talked about how they don't like to buy brands that are associated with rap culture (bc misogyny? so what about the women rappers talking about these brands?) If I had a dog whistle, I'd be blowing it.

A lot of ppl don't like it when luxury becomes accessible to people of color, especially black people. They don't have the full heart/cojones to say it, but that's what they mean. So they talk around it instead. Unfortunately for them, black culture often sets trends...these brands you love actively take from black culture...black culture makes things cool...it's not a relationship that's going to end anytime soon. And nothing is out of reach for anyone if you have enough money...these rappers, etc. are still going to get exactly what they want.

I definitely found it interesting to see how people were put off by brands due to problematic history and/or marketing and then those who were put off due to their own problematic views in this thread. But racism and classism are both pervasive, so it’s always disappointing but never surprising to see it reflected on here.

 

[HRooks]

Honestly any brand that is highly counterfeited just doesn’t really interest me. Same with any brand that puts their logo all over the bag. That’s why I haven’t delved into LV, Dior (although I do have a vintage wallet), or Chanel. I admire the craftsmanship and the history and I love that many of the legitimate items continue to be sold on the vintage market but being heavily counterfeited and pasting the logo all over the products really cheapens the brand. Plus often the items with the heavy logos aren’t as well made.

 

[jcantu]

As all have mentioned before, the Dolce & Gabbana stuff was a nightmare. What’s interesting, is that this led a lot of talk about the “Pink Dollar” aka gay spending power and expendable income. They lost a ton of business because of it from so many different groups, they aren’t seen as a coveted brand anymore. I own a few pieces I’ll still wear but I’ll never buy their brand again.

Also, the Pink Dollar situation was a huge deal for Barilla pasta. They used to be seen as a mid-level luxury food product and now it’s always on sale.

 

[jcantu]

I appreciate you saying this. A lot of people on this forum talk about certain brands being "cheapened" bc of how more people are able to acquire it. An earlier poster talked about how they don't like to buy brands that are associated with rap culture (bc misogyny? so what about the women rappers talking about these brands?) If I had a dog whistle, I'd be blowing it.

A lot of ppl don't like it when luxury becomes accessible to people of color, especially black people. They don't have the full heart/cojones to say it, but that's what they mean. So they talk around it instead. Unfortunately for them, black culture often sets trends...these brands you love actively take from black culture...black culture makes things cool...it's not a relationship that's going to end anytime soon. And nothing is out of reach for anyone if you have enough money...these rappers, etc. are still going to get exactly what they want.

Absolutely! That is something that I have said for years about the unspoken racism of fashion versus the blatant racism that happens in stores. I believe it was Gucci at one point that said that their market had become too “urban” and they were going to change things up. What that means: too many black people; and that’s not what we want. This is what I call the unspoken racism because then you see how poorly some of the SA’s act towards anyone non-white.
If I remember, this was the excuse used by multiple designers the last time they all went logo less. Burberry said it about the chavs but just about every other brand started talking about everything being too “urban”.

 

[Amazona]

Yeah. My love for Longchamp diluted fast after having sent 3 bags for repairs. A custom nylon LP came back with the front seams greasy, Penelopé got reinked and the new sealant broke within a few weeks and they redyed my Fuchsia - the result was partly fuchsia, partly purple. Taking responsibility wasn't a part of their game.
Also, a By Malene Birger tote frayed in the corners after carrying it for around 10 times. They didn't accept a return and lied to me that they didn't have the bag in stock (even after I told them I knew they did as it was available at their web store) and that was it. The bag was not cheap either.

 

[papertiger]

Absolutely! That is something that I have said for years about the unspoken racism of fashion versus the blatant racism that happens in stores. I believe it was Gucci at one point that said that their market had become too “urban” and they were going to change things up. What that means: too many black people; and that’s not what we want. This is what I call the unspoken racism because then you see how poorly some of the SA’s act towards anyone non-white.
If I remember, this was the excuse used by multiple designers the last time they all went logo less. Burberry said it about the chavs but just about every other brand started talking about everything being too “urban”.

Where did you read about you info on Gucci? Do you have a reference? I'd like to read about it.

The term 'chav' nearly always refs. to British white Working Class poor. It is not exactly 'white trash' equivalent, but it is a completely derogatory term. There was a problem with male football hooliganism, also incorrectly/correctly affiliated with 'Casuals' (an English urban subculture) adopting the Burberry (and Aquascutum) check(s) as uniform. This was something that obviously didn't translate well in media optics in '90s, especially with Burberry's more conservative clients. Of course, lots of the check never originated from Burberry itself (although Burberry was not considered to own the copyright to it's now famous check/plaid until 2020: The Italian Supreme Court recognizes the Burberry Check as a famous trademark; judgement no. 576/2020. That's why they hired Bailey 2001 as Design Director (CD in 2004) and created Prorsum as the fashion-forward 'face' of Burberry leaving the more commercial check for other lines. Interestingly, Russian football (soccer) fans still sometimes wear Burberry check/plaid for bravado and as fans of the terrifying British hooliganism of late '80s/early '90s.